The Future of Us
by almightily
Summary: *D2 Spoilers* This story takes place after the battle on the pirate ship. Mal didn't forget her spellbook when they go back to Auradon. Ben was never spelled, but he decides it's time to move forwards with his proclamation and invite a few more kids from the Isle. Will Ben and Mal be able to get together again in the midst of forgotten rivals and even an old lover? MalxBen
1. Chapter 1 - Aftermath

**_Hi! So I'm back with a Descendants fanfic. I've already written 2 of these before plus 1 other that's on hold for now but might get picked up again soon._**

 ** _So this first chapter is mostly a few of the scenes from the movie, but with the character's thoughts to kind of introduce my version of things. It really starts to change when the VKs have their little talk._**

 ** _Please go check out my other Descendants stories, Uncovered, Discovering, and Let's Pretend. Make sure to Follow, Favorite and Review if you liked it (or if you didn't, that's fine)._**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 - Aftermath**

Once everyone was safely in the limo and began making their way back to Auradon, the tension in the air was almost suffocating. Mal tried her hardest not to look over at Ben who was sitting by her side but on the other end of the seat but she couldn't avoid her lingering eyes. She couldn't bring herself to say anything after what had happened at their hangout. She new what she had said wasn't the whole truth, but he didn't know that. Ben also tried to focus his eyes on something else but was struggling. Everything she had said before, it couldn't be the truth. He wanted to slide over to his purple haired pixie and just hold her, but she wasn't his anymore.

"I'm really sorry that things didn't go the way you wanted them to" Ben broke the silence. He wanted Mal to be happy, but the truth is he wasn't sorry. He was happy that Mal was in the limo and headed back to Auradon with the rest of them. He couldn't stand the thought of her staying on the Isle.

"I mean" Mal panted still out of breath from the battle, "As long as you're safe that's..."

"At least I got to see the Isle" Ben continued since Mal really didn't know what to say, "They're my people too. Uma helped me see that"

"Ben! Uma captured you" Mal responded unable to see past her everlasting grudge against Ursula's daughter.

"She's an angry girl with a bad plan…" he tried to reason. He understood why she didn't understand where he was coming from. Uma and Mal have history he would never fully understand, but she deserves a chance like any other kid from the Isle. "That's not so different from you when you came to Auradon, Mal". He regretted the words a little, but it was the truth.

Mal gasped slightly before struggling to find something to say and failing. She went back to looking out the window, her eyes staying away from the King. Mal wasn't ready to hear the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts.

"Awkward..." Dude rolled his eyes casually reminding everyone he could talk.

"Just because you can talk doesn't mean you always should" Carlos insisted and Dude snuggled closer to him to keep his mouth shut.

They all walked through the school trying to seem as cool and casual as possible after all that had just happened. Mal and Ben walked slightly behind the rest of the group. They both wanted to talk, but neither of them knew what to say. Mal kept her head down, still unsure whether she wanted to stay in Auradon.

Jane walked up to Ben urgently with some questions about cotillion. She clearly hadn't noticed Mal standing right there since her hair had been blonde the last time she had been there and it was now back to purple. Ben walked towards Mal and placed his hand on her lower back like he always did.

"Do you want to cancel?" Ben asked. Mal's eyes shot up to meet his, but she didn't have an answer to his question. "Do whatever you need to do?" He assured her. Their eyes remained on each other for a couple more seconds before she dropped her head again utterly confused at what she was supposed to do now.

Evie quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her away, "We need to talk". Mal just nodded in agreement.

"No" Carlos stepped in before the girls could walk away, "you guys are always going off in a huddle… whispering your girl stuff or whatever… and Jay and I are tired of it"

"I'm not" Jay clarified not wanting to get into any unwanted drama.

"We're your family too" Carlos went on after giving Jay some side eye, " We've been through alot, together. We're not stopping that now. Ok?". The other Vks didn't really know how to react. They had been a little distant, but they hadn't realized how much they actually needed each other until this very moment. "Everyone sit!" he commanded sitting down and everyone followed. Once everyone was sitting, he realized he actually had no idea what he was doing. "I don't know how to start girl talk".

"What up?" Jay tried causing Evie to giggle.

"Well.." Mal began with just a whisper. She had been holding in tears since the limo. She wasn't supposed to cry, ever, but she just couldn't help it. "I'm a mess" she admitted as tears started falling softly down her cheeks, "I'm such a mess. Everyone expects me to be this lady of the court and I can't do it" she sniffled and Evie placed a hand on her arm for some comfort. "I really tried my best, but it didn't work out" she had so much to say, but had no clue how to say it. "I just don't know who I am anymore".

"You're Mal" Carlos interrupted. "Yes, you're the same Mal that bullied everyone on the Isle and tried to take over Auradon. You're the Mal that loves purple and black and hates pink"

"You're the Mal that encouraged me to believe in myself and helped me understand that I do not need a prince" Evie added.

"You're the Mal that doesn't miss any of my tourney games, even when your boyf… Ben isn't playing" Jay reminded her.

"Your Mal" Carlos, "and that's all you have to be. Yourself".

"We're always going to be the kids from the Isle" Evie reminded them, "I tried to forget that, but it's true".

"And everything we go through we go through together" Carlos insisted, "and we've been through alot worse"

"I just don't know what to do" Mal sighed, "I can't keep pretending to me someone I'm not"

"Come to cotillion" Jay suggested.

"I can make some alterations to your dress" Evie encouraged.

"Ok" Mal nodded convincing herself that this was a good idea. She was confused about a lot of things right now, but if their was one thing she knew for sure is that she had the best family in the entire world. A sister and two brothers.

Jane had outdone herself with cotillion. Everything was absolutely beautiful, bur Mal couldn't enjoy it as nerves were eating her insides. Evie had outdone herself. The blue and yellow dress stood untouched in their dorm room, but she had been able to turn another unfinished gown into a fabulous black, purple and green dress for Mal. She had asked for her arrival not be announced, and Ben made sure of that, so she was able to walk in with her friends without making a big deal about it.

Ben was late, he knew it and his parents knew it. It was very unlike him to be late to anything, but he had called an emergency meeting with the royal council about the Isle. He had always wanted to do something about the whole Isle of the Lost situation, but the last couple of months since his coronation had been so busy, he had forgotten. Being on the Isle had reminded him of how important his plan is. This was going to be one of his priorities from now on.

"Presenting King Benjamin Florian of Auradon" Lumiere spoke and everyone turned to the entrance were Ben stood. He slowly made his way down the stairs, greeting his parents on the way down. Usually, Mal would make her way to Ben and take his arm, but she didn't move and people were noticing. Technically they had broken up, so she didn't find it appropriate to do so. Ben, however, had other plans. He made his way to where Mal and her friends stood and offered her his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" she took his hand and they began dancing to the beat of the slow music. Mal wasn't much of a dancer, but she had to talk to him sooner or later. "I'm glad you decided to come".

"Ben…" Mal began, but he had to say something first.

"I just want you to be happy, Mal" he had been rehearsing this moment in his head for the last hour or so, "That's all I want. I'd be lying if I told you I don't want to be by your side, but as long as you're happy I'll be happy". There was a long pause as Mal digested everything he had just said. "It's ok if you don't love me".

"You think I don't love you…" Mal scoffed in disbelief.

"You said…" Ben tried reminding her about their little talk on the Isle, but she remembered very well.

"I know what I said Ben" she nodded, "Everything I said I said because I can't be the girl you need me to be. I can't keep up the perfect princess act. In fact, I am the farthest thing from perfect and princess there is. I am not good for you". She stopped for a moment looking into his musky green eyes. "But I LOVE you Ben" she whimpered softly as tears formed in her eyes, "you taught me what love is, and I will always love you".

Ben leaned down slamming his lips into hers urgently. Mal didn't even hesitate when their lips met. It felt natural. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck, and his hands slowly slid down to her lower back pulling her tightly towards himself. Their lips separated, but their foreheads remained pressed together. She could feel his cool breath on the tip of her nose as they both breathed in and out slowly.

"I love your purple hair" he began now, "I love how you still find buffets confusing…"

"How much food am I supposed to eat!?" She explained and he laughed making her blush.

"I love when your eyes gleam emerald green for less than a second. I love everything about you Mal Betha, and I wouldn't have stayed with you if I didn't believe you handle being by my side. There are dozens of pretty pink princesses in Auradon, but I chose you".

She pressed her head into his chest as they continued to dance, "Don't ever scare me like that again Ben. I actually thought I was going to lose you".

"I won't… but you have to promise me something" he negotiated

"What?"

"If and when you start feeling overwhelmed or exhausted you come to me, talk to me. We'll figure it out together" he assured her, "Promise?"

She pushed back a little to look up into his eyes once again. "I promise" she agreed before giving him a quick kiss and hugging him tightly. Her Ben. His Mal. Everything was just how it was meant to be.

* * *

 ** _Hope you guys liked this little into to the story. The next chapter should be up in the next few day and you'll get to meet the new kids from the Isle…_**

 ** _I have another Descendants story called Uncovered and a sequel called Discovered. Check them out if you want to._**

 ** _Also take a look at my other Descendants story called Let's Pretend and let me know if you'd like me to keep writing it._**

 ** _Follow, Favorite and Review. Leave any suggestions or ideas you might have in a review. I'll gladly consider adding them to the story and give you credit if I do end up using it!_**


	2. Chapter 2 - New Old Frenemies

_**Hi Everyone! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. I really enjoyed reading your reviews and suggestions.**_

 _ **I have to thank and give credits to malfoyravenclaw555 for coming up with Hayden, daughter of Hades. We'll see her quite a bit.**_

 _ **Keep leaving ideas and suggestion you want to see in the story or what should happen and I might add them.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2 - New Old Frenemies**

A few days after returning to Auradon, everyone was slowly getting back into routine. Ben had been very busy. Mal had barely seen him since the boat. She knew he had many kingly responsibilities, but she had restrained herself from asking what exactly he was working on until she felt comfortable enough to get involved again. So, when Ben texted her that he had a little free time, Mal didn't hesitate before heading to his room.

They had been cuddling on the couch watching, or not really watching, some TV for a while when Ben finally spoke. "I missed your purple hair" he smiled running a hand through the recently cut hair. "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?" she wondered looking up to meet his face.

"Keep your hair prom growing purple?" he explained and she took in a deep breath.

"I was using this spell…" she answered ashamed of herself. "Remember when my eyes used to suddenly light up?", he just nodded, "Well the spell would make me look and act the way everyone expected me too. Whenever it started to wear off and I started feeling like I had to stop, something inside me would ignite and the spell would take over".

"I'm sorry" He shook his head looking down, "I should have known something wasn't right. I shouldn't have yelled at you".

"Hey" the palm of her hand met the side of his face making him look at her again, "It's ok. I'm fine. You had no way of knowing what was actually going on".

He pouted slightly and she erased the pout from his lips pressing her own lips on his with passion. In one swift move, she found herself straddling over him as the kiss grew more fierce. Her hands intertwined behind his neck as his palms found their place in the space between her lower back and her butt. She began placing kisses down his neck when her phone started going off. She ignored it at first, but then the sound went off again. she pushed off of her king with a slight pause before grabbing her phone from the coffee table.

"Evie?" Ben inquired shifting his body to a sitting position.

"Who else would it be?" Mal joked with an eyebrow raised. Evie was running some errands and apparently decided she was going to get the dress fixed since Mal refused to deal with it. Jay and Carlos were at practice. With tourney season over, they joined the Sword Sparring Team to keep busy. Ben had decided to sit out this season since he was still getting used to his royal duties. "She's just letting me know my dress, the one I wore when we went to Agrabah, is back from the dry cleaners".

"The one you spilled curry all over?" he teased even though he knew exactly what dress she was talking about.

"Yes" her eyes widened with a warning, "That's the one". She placed the phone back on the table and refocused her sight on her boyfriend, but before she could do anything, Ben slid her off his lap and grabbed her hands.

"I've been meaning to tell you something" he admitted. This was his third attempt at telling her, but this was his last chance. He couldn't chicken out now.

"You can tell me anything" she assured him, but he knew this wasn't going to go very well.

"Well" he took a breath a courage before continuing, "The royal council approved the next group of kids from the Isle that are coming to Auradon". She stayed calm to his surprise, but he still had to tell her who the kids were. "They'll be here in a week".

"Who are they?" was all Mal managed to say. She agreed that other kids deserved the same opportunity she had gotten, but hadn't exactly been very friendly on the Isle. It would be easy to say that she had made a few enemies, and by a few a mean a lot.

"Dizzy, but you already knew that" he began and she nodded. "Hades' daughter…"

"Hayden" Mal completed for him shrugging. They hadn't really been close, but Mal had been particularly mean to her in certain occasions at Dragon Hall calling her Sewer Rat since she spent most of her time underground.

"Gil…" Mal was actually a little glad. Unlike his brothers, Gaston Jr. and Gaston the Third, Gil wasn't really built for the Isle. He'd get along better in Auradon.

"…Harry Hook…" This time Ben felt Mal's body become stiff with tension. She was not happy that Harry was coming for some reason, but the last name was the one that set her off.

"and Uma".

Instantly, Mal shot up from the couch. "Have you lost your mind?!" she raised her voice. "A few days ago they were ready to turn you into shark food, and now you want them to come live here!" she held her hands to her head and began pacing around the room.

"That's exactly why they should come" he stood up as well, "they need it more than anyone". He grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her pacing. "I now you and Uma have a rough relationship. I am not asking you to become her best friend, or friends at all, but a year ago that was you. The only one who can understand what she's going to go through is you". He took in a deep breath as she crossed her arms defiantly and shifted her eyes elsewhere. "Just be there. Be there for me. Can you do it for me?"

"Fine." she agreed not completely sure about it. She grabbed her jacket from the couch and started headed out of the room. She stepped back to give Ben a quick peck on the lips before saying "But I am not happy about it" sticking out her tongue childishly and leaving.

Mal slammed the door to her dorm room behind her and let herself lean against it bringing her hands to her face. She was too deep in her own thoughts to notice Evie and Doug in the room. Things had just gotten better again, and now everything was going to change. She loved Ben for doing something about the Isle, but why did they have to come here. As much as she pouted and complained, she knew this was all her fault. If she hadn't been such an ass on the Isle none of the kids would have issues with her. "Ugggghh" she grunted in despair.

"I think that's my cue to leave" Doug got up from where he was seating, gave Evie a kiss on the cheek and moved past Mal and out the door with a low "Bye".

"So I'm guessing Ben finally told you" Evie said without turning to face the purple haired girl.

"Wait!" Mal stepped forwards, "You knew?"

"We all do" she explained, "but Ben made us promise we wouldn't tell you. He wanted to do it himself".

"You couldn't even give me a heads up about Uma and…" she plopped on her back over her bed covering her face with her hands. "fake hook Harry!", she yelled into her hands.

"They'll just be here" Evie shrugged, "That doesn't mean we have to like them now".

Evie would never understand. She had been hiding for most of her life. Of course, that was Mal's fault, but it did mean that she hadn't known Uma or Harry for long. Mal knew them almost as much as she knew herself. They had been causing trouble around the Isle since they had learned how to walk.

"I guess that's true" Mal just brushed it off and the conversation ended.

The night before the new VKs arrived, Mal couldn't stop tossing and turning. Overtime she closed her eyes, all she could see was Ben standing at the edge of the plank about to become shark lunch. She'd shake the thought away from her mind, but when she'd close her eyes again, it would just come back. Eventually, she was able to fall asleep, but the thought never left her mind.

"Mal!" Evie insisted for the third time in the last hour, "Ben is coming to get you in half an hour and you're still in bed". Mal just pulled the blanket over her head and turned to face the other side. "We promised we'd be there to greet the new kids" Evie pulled the blanket off the bed revealing Mal and her purple mess of a hair, "and we are keeping that promise".

"I don't want to…" Mal whined still in her bed.

"Come on" Evie shook her head grabbing some clothes for Mal and trowing it on her bed.

"I'm not feeling well" Mal gave her a fake cough, "It could be contagious".

"Get dressed" Evie completely ignored her petty attempt at staying in bed.

"Fine" Mal got up reluctantly and headed to the bathroom with the clothes Evie had chosen for her in hand.

A few minutes later, she walked out wearing a very discreet black and purple dress with a leather jacket and her black boots. Something that looked slightly formal, but was still very Mal.

Ben knocked on the door and waited for his girlfriend to answer. To his surprise, Evie opened the door. Even though it was barely 8 in the morning, the blue haired girl was already dressed, face full of make up, and her hair was intricately done in a half up braid.

"Good morning Evie" he greeted cheerfully, "Is Mal ready?"

"Yes, she is" she nodded, "but she isn't feeling very well"

"Is she sick?" He asked concerned

"No" Evie shook her head, "she's just a little worried".

"Thanks Evie" he smiled and entered the girls room just as Evie headed down the hall probably to go find Jay and Carlos.

"You look beautiful" Ben complimented his girlfriend through the mirror in which she was looking at herself.

"Thanks" she answers without turning to face him.

"Hey" he moves closer placing his hands on her hips and turning her around softly, "If it's too much and you're feeling overwhelmed you don't have to come".

"No" she said after taking a deep breath, "I want to be by your side. It's just…"

"What?" he insisted when she stopped talking

"Nothing" she brushed his hands off and walked to her bed to grab her phone.

"You know you can tell me anything" he grabbed her arm making her turn around before she was able to reach her bed.

"I know" she smiled reassuringly. She'd tell him eventually. If it's necessary she'll tell him. "Let's go" she grabbed his hand and they headed to greet their new classmates.

The limo drove up to the front of the school, and Mal, Carlos, Evie and Jay couldn't help but feel nostalgic. This had been them not so long ago, but it felt like a lifetime. So much had changed.

The door opened and Dizzy hopped out with a smile that went from ear to ear. "Evie!" she ran to hug her. "I can't believe I'm here!"

"Welcome to Auradon" Evie smiled hugging the smaller girl back.

Hayden walked out of the car next. Her hair was longer than what Mal remembered. It used to go just below her shoulders, but now it fell all the way to her waist. It was still shinning her usual teal, lighter on the top and darker on the bottom, with white streaks. Her bright blue eyes that matched her hair met with Mal's, and even though Mal grinned in a friendly way, the girl dropped her head so their eyes wouldn't meet again.

Uma and Gil appeared afterward followed by Harry Hook. They looked pissed to be here, but they really weren't. Gil was actually excited, Uma was just glad to get away from the restaurant, and Harry had been yearning to meet Mal again after seeing her on the Isle. His eyes flew to Mal as soon as he had stepped out of the vehicle, and wouldn't leave her.

"Hello children" Fairy Godmother smiles to the 4 very annoyed looking teenagers.

"Welcome to Auradon" Ben welcomes letting go of Mal's hand and taking a step forwards. "I hope you had a good trip".

"next time make sure send a limo with a bathroom" Uma complained and Hayden laughed to herself.

"I'll make sure of it" Ben grinned not sure if it was a joke or not.

Harry started walking towards Mal as if no one else was around them. With every step he took, he got closer and closer until he was as close as he could be. His eyes remained glued to her, but Mal just wanted him to go back to the Isle, or disappear off the face of the world. He was wearing his signature ripped tan top, leather vest and pirate hat complete with thick dark eyeliner that was rumored to be tattooed on. "Malignant, malevolent, malicious" he slowly pushed her hair with his makeshift hook he held in honor of his father, "Mal…". He smiled a wicked smile like if he had just found treasure, "I'm so glad to see you again…"

"I can't say the same Harry" she whispered. He was so close to her that with only a whisper he could hear her loud and clear. She could feel something dark within her starting to grow. She suddenly felt the need to brake or graffiti something. She couldn't see it, but she'd bet anything her eyes were glowing emerald green, and she was right. Mal could hear people around them gasping at the encounter.

He was too close, Ben decided. He cleared his throat and reclaimed his place by his girlfriend's side. His hand slid comfortably into hers and she recomposed herself. Her eyes went back to normal and the need to go full out Isle completely vanished.

"Doug and Carlos will give you a tour" Ben pointed towards the boys and the new vks started following them into the school. Harry lingered for a few seconds still staring, not at Mal but at the couple with hate in his eyes. When Uma called after him, he snapped out of it and followed the others.

"You ok?" Ben asked slightly angrily.

"Fine" Mal took a deep breath to clear her head. Ben clearly wasn't happy about this. "Let's go", she suggested and the couple left hand in hand, still some tension in the air.

"That's was…" Dizzy said with worry and confusion on her face.

"Yep." Evie agreed fully understanding what the girl meant. "Ice Cream?"

"Ice Cream!" Dizzy agreed forgetting about the encounter almost instantly.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **Please go check out my other Descendants stories, Uncovered, Discovering, and Let's Pretend. Make sure to Follow, Favorite and Review if you liked it (or if you didn't, that's fine).**_


	3. Chapter 3 - Life Skills

_**Hello everyone! So this chapter is kind of an introduction to the next few chapters. I have a ton planned out for those, so get ready for some juicy drama.**_

 _ **I hope you're enjoying this story. If you have any ideas or suggestions about what should happen please leave them in a review and I'll do my best to ad them into the story (no promises though)**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3 - Life Skills**

Mal didn't know if she was annoyed or glad that Ben had been right. The first day of class with the new VKs was going pretty smoothly. She had barely seen any of them throughout the day, except for lunch time. Uma and Harry had been stirring their food confused just as they original VKs had done when they first arrived. After eating only old leftovers your entire life, a fresh plate of food looked pretty suspicious. Jay was explaining tourney to Gil while he chomped down his lunch without even looking or caring about what exactly he was eating. Hayden had sat down with Carlos and Evie. They were having a nice conversation when Mal joined them and the teal haired girl took off. Dizzy was apparently having a great day according to Evie, since she was attending Auradon Junior Prep because of her age. Of course, there were still a few hours left of school, and anything could happen.

Mal had never been one to like school. Back on the Isle she'd go to Dragon Hall just because there was nothing else to do on the Isle, but the classes she actually enjoyed were very few. Simple enough, she didn't like to be told what to do. That hadn't really changed about her from living in Auradon.

It was the period just after lunch, which meant Life Skills for Mal. This was actually one of the classes she didn't hate, that is until she entered the classroom to find a certain sea-witch sitting on the same table she usually sat at. Instantly, something felt different within her. Her breath was suddenly warm and her chin was held higher that usual.

"Oh Mal" Ms. Merryweather noticed her by the door, "I'm guessing you already know Uma". She signaled to the girl and Mal gave her the most hypocrite smile she could.

"and there's nothing I can do about it" Mal spat back.

"Sorry?" Merryweather asked not understanding what Mal had said.

"Yes" Mal corrected herself with a smile, "of course I know her".

"Good" Merryweather continued, "I think it'll be good if you two were partners, since you know better than anyone what it's like being the new kid".

"I actually rather work…" Mal tried to explain but Merryweather was already distracted with something else, "…alone".

"Have the horns started coming in yet?" Uma taunted as Mal approached the table.

"I thought I smelled rotten fish" Mal insinuated with a disgusted look on her face as she took one of the two seats. "You still frying clams in your spare time?"

"You little…" Uma reached for a pair of scissors that was on the table and Mal's hand sparked ready to defend herself. Luckily, Ms. Merryweather began the lesson and both girls refocused their attention to the board, momentarily forgetting their rage but not completely relaxing.

After Life Skills Mal still had a couple more classes until she was free for the day. As soon as she was done, she raced to find Evie in their room. When she gets there the room is empty, so she heads to the boys room since she knows they always go back to their room before practice. She flung the door open and revealed Evie, Carlos and Jay just sitting around. Evie was helping Jay with his chemistry homework while Carlos sat looking at his computer.

"You will not believe what happened to me!" She half yelled as she entered the room.

"I have a feeling your about to tell us" Carlos grinned at his obvious statement.

"Uma is in my Life Skills class" She paced back and forth, "No! not only is she in my class. No, Merryweather had to make me her parter! Can you believe I have to work with that.. that…"

"Mal!" Carlos, Jay and Evie al said at the same time. "You're ranting" Evie said in a calm steady voice hoping to calm her friend.

"I just can't stand her" Mal grunted before going back to her room. She needed to vent. She needed to sketch.

Ben was getting used to his new schedule as King, but he did missed being part of the Sparring Team. That afternoon he found himself watching the team practice. It was hard being on the sideline when he had always been part of the team.

"What'd you think?" Jay asked approaching the bench. He had noticed Ben walking into the arena when they were in the middle of practice.

"Not bad" he shrugged, "but you'd be better with me out there". He kept a straight face for a few seconds before laughing, "I'm kidding. Lonnie is doing an amazing job as captain".

"Yeah, she's great" Jay agreed blushing slightly. "Can we count on you for tourney season?"

"I hope so" He was hoping to be able to play the Tourney Season next semester, but he wasn't getting his hopes up just in case.

"How's Mal doing?" Jay dried of his sweaty forehead with a towel.

"She texted me earlier that she needed some time alone today" he looked down at his phone checking to see if he had received any more messages. "Why?"

"Apparently she had a class with Uma and they were paired to work together" Jay explained, "she was pretty pissed about it".

"So tell me…" Ben ran a hand through his hair, "How worried should I be?"

"They basically hate each other" Jay nodded.

"Great" Ben grinned sarcastically.

"It was nice to see you around here again" Jay said sincerely before heading off to the locker rooms.

It only took a few minutes for Ben to reach Mal and Evie's room. He had given her time alone like she had asked, but he really wanted to know how she was. He knocked on the door and no one answered. Peeking in, he saw only Mal sitting on her bed looking at her sketch pad with some headphones on.

Mal didn't notice her boyfriend in the room until he was standing right next to her bed.

"Hey beautiful" Ben smiled taking a seat on the edge of her bed after. She slid the headphones off.

"Hey" she sighed glad to see him but continued shading with her pencil.

"I'm guessing you're drawing Uma falling off the very top of Mount Olympus" he hinted that he knows what happened.

"She's actually being swallowed by the kraken" she didn't even look up as she spoke. "I'm thinking of doing Harry Hook being bitten by a crocodile next".

"Mal…" He said in a concerned but worried tone.

"Don't worry" she put down the sketchpad and finally looked at Ben, "I was… civil".

"I'm glad to hear that" He relaxed a little bit and leaned down closer to her face. "But I actually wanted to know how you felt today".

"Other than that" Mal grabbed his hands, "It was actually a pretty good day".

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that" he admitted and she smiled before he kissed her softly.

She wanted to go a little further than just a kiss, but before she could do anything, he pulled away wanting to say something.

"So" he began, "I have to go to Triton's Bay next weeks. They have the most beautiful beaches. It's just for a few days, and I thought maybe you'd like to come. If you're up for it of course".

"Beaches?" Mal questioned raising an eyebrow. "I get sunburned if I have lunch outside"

"I'll get you some sunscreen" he suggested but she didn't seem convinced, "and a hat." Still nothing. "We'll get some alone time". "Come on" he insisted trying to tickle her, with she absolutely hated.

"Ok, ok" she laughed, "I'll go just because it gets me out of class".

"Ouch" he held a hand up to his heart jokingly

"I'm kidding" she shook her head and went back in for another kiss.

The following morning, Evie and Mal were making their way to breakfast when they came across Harry Hook. He was dressed pretty much the same as before, with his hook and thick eyeliner and all and leaned against the wooden walls casually waiting.

"Mal" he smiled and the girls stopped.

"I'll catch up with you later E" Mal told her friend.

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait, M?" she asked concerned and curious about what was about to happen

"I'm sure" she nodded and the blue haired girl left.

Mal approached the pirate with her arms crossed. As much as he enjoyed this, it was not amusing to her.

"Whats are you doing here Harry?" she asked looking up at the taller pirate who had his back against the wall.

"Well yer dear boyfriend was kind enough to get me off the bloody island" he said with his thick accent.

"I know that" Mal reacted very annoyed. "I mean here…" she signaled around them, "waiting in the hallway for me".

"a pirate can't wait for me wench?" his calloused hand caressed her face, but Mal didn't waist any time. Her arm instantly pushed him back, slamming him into the wall and away from her.

"You need to get something straight" she said clearly, "I am not your lass. I am not your anything". She shook her head. "You and me, that's NEVER happening again. It can't and will never happen again. If it were for me, you'd still be rotting on the Isle, but lucky for you Ben is more forgiving than I am".

"Dear dear Ben" Harry laughed, "does he know I was making ye scream me name long before he was?"

"Uggh" Mal pushed him one last time disgusted, "You're an asshole. Stay the hell away from me". She left trying to get everything that had just happened out of her head.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **Leave me ideas for Uma-Mal rival moments, and Mal-Harry moments too.**_

 _ **Please go check out my other Descendants stories, Uncovered, Discovering, and Let's Pretend. Make sure to Follow, Favorite and Review**_


	4. Chapter 4 - Mal vs Uma Round 1

_**Hello guys. I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer. Most of it has been written for a few days, but I still needed to add some things and my schedule has been crazy. I am moving, and have been packing like crazy.**_

 _ **The next chapter MIGHT take a little longer too since I will be traveling to visit my sister and will be away for a few days. I'll try to get it up as soon as possible.**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorited. Y'all keep me inspired to write.**_

 _ **A bit shoutout to Gummybear1178, pinksakura271, Mikayla elwood, and a few guest for giving me great ideas. some of them will be coming in following chapters, but I can't fit them all into the story. (I'm sorry if you suggested and I missed your name. I honestly tried to find all of them)**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4 - Mal vs. Uma Round 1**

Thursdays meant P.E. for all the Juniors in Auradon prep. The students would split off into girls and boys for their respective class. Not that girls couldn't do what the boys were doing, but it made it easier for the teachers.

"Alright girls" the teacher blew her whistle so everyone would pay attention, "The Obstacle Course. Most of you already know how it works, but for those of you who don't. The course consists of 6 parts, climb up the wall, pass the monkey bars, jump through the uneven platforms, across the balance beam, up and over the rope net and, finally swing over the water. Split into two teams. The team who gets everyone to the other end first wins.".

The course was a tradition. The boys always took it very serious, but girls usually tried having as much fun with it as possible. The goal was always to finish it under 2 minutes, but Jay had beaten that record the year before with an astounding 1 minute and 24 seconds. Most of the Isle kids had gotten the course under the 2 minutes, but they didn't come close to Jay's time. Living on the Isle had given them and advantage. I mean, there wasn't one day on the Isle where they didn't jump from roof to roof, or had to take sketchy routes to get away after stealing some food.

"Lonnie and Ally" the teacher called to the first two girls she saw, "Captains. Choose your team wisely".

Lonnie went straight for Mal. Evie didn't wait to long to be chosen, but Uma and Hayden were the last two standing. Since the number of girls was uneven they both ended up on Ally's team. Ally had to do the course alone so the competition would be fair, and once she was done, the following two girls took off.

"Need some help?" Uma grinned as Mal stretched her shoulders

"And why would I help you" Mal responded ignoring the fact that it had clearly been a question. "Is the obstacle course too hard Shrimpy?"

"You wish" Uma laughed getting ready, "I could do this in my sleep. You on the other hand… those scrawny arms won't get you up the wall…" she turned to face the purple haired girl, "Well, you could always fly over the course. Remember that time you took that knife from that merchant. You were about to get caught because you couldn't get out of that alley. But no, you put that knife in my bag and left me to take the fall for it. Literally, the man threw me into the fountain. You always took the easy way out".

Mal felt the heat rising inside her, like a fire slowly growing. She had never actually been able to turn into a dragon, but she had always been terrified of it happening. She hated not knowing if it was possible. Her eyes began to glow bright green and Uma was pretty pleased. Even though this state got Mal all fierce, it meant she was getting on her nerves and that's exactly what she wanted.

"I finished the course in under two minutes twice already" Mal gloated.

"Then lets go" Uma suggested, "You and me".

"Mal" Evie warned from behind her, "You really shouldn't". Evie was right. Mal knew she had to be the better person, but she was way too riled up to see that.

"Let's go" Mal agreed lost in the adrenaline.

The two girls stayed behind so they could go last. Logically, as soon as their teammate finished the course either girl could start. However, they had agreed they'd both start at the same time. So when Mal's teammate finished and she didn't stat, all the girls waiting on the other side were utterly confused.

As soon as Uma's teammate was done, both girls ran to the wall as if their life depended on it. Mal was the first up the was, but Uma caught up to her in the monkey bars. Honestly, Mal was struggling a little. She couldn't show it, but she remembered the course being easier when she had first gotten to Auradon.

"What's wrong?" Uma pouted teasing Mal, "Is this too much for the lady of the court?"

The uneven platforms seemed more like a war zone. Mal started before Uma could, but by the 3rd platform, Uma tripped Mal. Her foot slid off the edge which almost caused her to fall. Luckily, her hands gripped the edge just in time. This gave Mal a boost of energy. If she wanted to play dirty then dirty it should get. She pulled herself up and continued.

"Beam of wood, sturdy and bare, make yourself a slippery nightmare" Mal whispered and Uma made her way down the balance beam so no one would hear. Instantly, Uma began losing her balance. Mal easily passed her waving goodbye as Uma continued to struggle to keep her balance.

It took some time, but eventually she made it out and more pissed off than before. She hurried on the rope net and caught up just in time. Mal was about to swing when Uma grabbed the rope and pulled hard. She lost her grip and fell into the small pool underneath. When she surfaced, Uma was disappointed that she hadn't drowned. She didn't know Mal had learned how to swim. She swung calmly to the other side and finished the course and her team cheered.

Mal didn't even bother finishing the course. Ben had taught her how to swim over the summer because he said it was dangerous for her not to know, but Mal didn't particularly like being in water. Uma approached her before anyone else did.

"You lost your edge Mal. The mistress of evil is nothing more than just a mistress…" she shook her head as Mal climbed out of the pool, "Maybe you should stick to cooking and sewing from now on…". Uma laughed pleased at herself as she turned around and gave Hayden high 5 and going to get drink of water.

Something changed within her in that moment. The fire inside grew stronger, like it could never be put out. It was like she was back on the Isle were anything goes. Pure Anarchy. Mal charged forwards as if to hit Uma, but Evie pulled her back. She snapped out of it remembering she was actually in Auradon, not the Isle.

"M?" Evie asked surprised at her. She hadn't seen Mal act like this in months.

Mal turned to look at Evie who had a concerned look on her face. Just then she realized almost everyone was staring at her. Her eyes faded to her usual green color as she took one last look at Evie before flinging her hand off and leaving without looking back.

Once in her dorm room, Mal stood in front of the bathroom sink staring at herself in the mirror as the water ran. She needed to snap out of this. This is not who she is, she tried telling herself, but she felt like she was lying to herself. For years, she had one wish, to be the evilest of them all. She was suddenly ashamed of herself. It was time to get back to that. No. She shook her head getting the thought out. That was her mother's desire, not hers. She wanted to be happy, with Ben. She was proud of everything she had accomplished since she got to Auradon. She was more confused than ever. Her eyes met their reflection in the mirror. They were flaring up again. It had happened 4 times in less than a week now. Something had toe wrong. Of course something was wrong. Uma and Harry Hook were going to drive her crazy, if they hadn't already.

As the fire inside her burned her insides, she clenched her jaw and brought her fist to meet the mirror with al her strength. The mirror shattered in dozens of pieces all over the bathroom. Just like that, the fire inside ceased, and her eyes dimmed. She splashed some water on her face, closed the sink, changed into some dry clothes, and left with her knuckles still bleeding under her sweater sleeve.

"Well, well" Harry smiled as he and Gil entered Uma and Hayden's room. She was still smiling from her victory earlier. "Sink me for you have actually beaten Mal at something!"

With that comment the smile disappeared from her face. she slowly walked towards Harry defensively. "I will come out on top this time" She assured him. It was about time that the tables turned.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Gil wondered out loud.

"Of course it's going to work" Uma said confidently, "When Mal goes back to her old self, no one is going to want anything to do with her".

"She's weak" Hayden pointed out, "She let those tough walls around her drop. Big mistake". Hayden hadn't really been friends with Uma's crew back on the Isle, but since they had been living in the same room she had actually started to get along with the sea witch. She wasn't sure if they're plan was what she wanted, but she understood Uma's reasons. Mal had been mean to her countless amount of times. As much as she didn't want anything to do with it, she wouldn't mind seeing Mal suffer a little. On the other hand, The original VKs weren't that bad. Evie was super sweet, as was Carlos. If they were friends with Mal, maybe she really had changed.

"Hey" Evie ran up to Carlos' locker where he was talking to Jane. "Have you seen Mal?"

"No" Carlos shook his head closing his locker, "But she wasn't in History".

"She wasn't in Art either" Jane added.

Now Evie was past worried now. She had thought about following her when she ran off, but knowing Mal she needed some time alone. Then after lunch she was tutoring a few students. Maybe she's was with Ben, she tried calming herself, and it would have worked if Ben hadn't appeared on the other end of the hallway all alone.

"You know what…" Evie smiled, "She's probably in our room. Yeah, I totally forgot".

"Can you give this to her?" Carlos handed her a set of papers, "It's the history review she missed today. I was going to go find her now, but I have Sparring practice and Lonnie is going to kill me if I'm late".

"Sure" Evie agreed not even knowing where Mal was.

Their room was fine when Evie got there. She saw Mal's PE uniform hanging on a hook still a little damp. So, she had been here earlier. "M?" she asked as she pushed the bathroom door open. There were mirror shards everywhere, and the golden mirror frame lay on the ground in multiple pieces. The white sink was also covered with glass, but what really caught her eyes was the red stain on the faucet and drain. Blood.

She was about to go find Ben when the purple haired girl appeared by the bathroom door. Her purple sleeve had a brown stain from the blood, but other than that she seemed fine. Well, at least physically.

"Don't tell Ben" was all she said looking at her friend pleadingly. She needed to be alone for a while, so she when up the old mountain trail by the enchanted lake. It went all the way up to a lookout with the most stunning view. You could basically is everything from up there, but in the middle of it there was a dark cloud floating in the ocean. The Isle. She didn't want to go back. She had already tried it once, and it hadn't really worked out, but she hoped looking at the Isle and at Auradon she could clear her mind and remember why she had decided to stay.

"What the hell happened?" Evie asked, neither girl moving from their spots.

"I…" Mal could even explain it. "I… don't really know E. It was like an impulse". She backed up and sat on the bed closest to the door, and Evie followed.

"Are you okay?" Evie changed the topic from the mirror to her friend clearly seeing something was up.

"Yeah…" Mal lied to herself more than Evie, "I'll be fine. I just can't let Uma get to me."

"Screw her" Evie supported, "She's just bitter. Plus she can't even find the right lipstick to match her skin tone and eyes".

Mal laughed slightly and hugged Evie. She always made her feel much better.

"Hello" Ben knocked softly at the open door to their room.

"Hey" Mal panicked for a second as she walked over to her boyfriend and embraced him with a kiss. Evie sensed it immediately and rushed to close the bathroom door before Ben would see it.

"I heard what happened with Uma" he looked down waiting to see if she was bothered by it.

"Eh" Mal shrugged, "you win some you lose some". He wasn't convinced but she seemed pretty sure of herself.

He grabbed her injured hand unaware of the wound and she flinched involuntarily. That's when he noticed the stain on her sleeve and took her hand again. He carefully slid the fabric back to reveal her pain skin bruised and covered in dry blood.

"What happened?' his eyes widened.

"I must have scratched it on the obstacle course" she lied. She knew she had hit that mirror pretty hard, but her hand was worse than she imagined.

"You should go see the nurse" he suggested, but she shook her head.

"I'm fine" she insisted. Her hand hadn't hurt until know, and it had been hours since it had happened. He stared at her as if telling her to go to the nurse again. "Really Ben" she smiled taking her hand back, "I'm fine".

"At least let me clean it up for you" he headed towards the bathroom, but Mal blocked his way by pulling him to her by his shirt.

"Actually" she sighed, "Why don't we go to your room?". He nodded and they made their way to his room that he had all to himself.

She sat on the bathroom vanity as he rinsed the dried blood off with a wet towel. Once most of it was gone, they could she the wound wasn't as bad as he thought. It was just very bruised, which is normal since Mal bruises fairly easily.

"There's something in there" He pointed to at one of her wounded knuckles. He reached in carefully and pulled the object out gracefully without a tweezer. "Is that glass?"

"Glass?" Mal questioned as if she had no idea how that had gotten there.

"How did you get glass in there?" he threw the little shard away and came back.

"It must have been during art class" she came up with a logical answer hoping he didn't know that she had skipped art today.

"Did something break?" he wondered.

"No" she shook her head, "There's just always people working with glass and stuff"

He grabbed a piece of gauze from the first aid kit and wrapped it around her hand a few times before taping it. Then he placed a kiss on it and helped her down from where she was sitting.

"Thank you" Mal looked up wrapping her arms around her king and pouting slightly. She hated lying to him, but she didn't even know what was happening, how could she explain something she didn't even understand herself.

He leaned down and she rose to her toes so their lips would meet. They stayed there making out for a few minutes when Ben picked her up with one swift move making her laugh into his chest and they moved themselves to Ben's bed.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **Please go check out my other Descendants stories, Uncovered, Discovering, and Let's Pretend. Make sure to Follow, Favorite and Review. See you next chapter!**_


	5. Chapter 5 - Mal vs Uma Round 2

**_Hey everyone! I am finally uploading this chapter! So I went to NYC for the weekend and just got back home today. I have been writing this chapter title by little during my trip, so I apologize if it's a little messy._**

 ** _Anyway, I am going to Seattle this weekend. My goal is to try and get another chapter up before I leave, and then another when I get back. After that I am moving to Chicago. It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks._**

 ** _Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorited. Y'all keep me inspired to write._**

 ** _As always, if you have any ideas or suggestions leave them in a review and I'll be happy to check it out, and maybe even add it to the story. (I'll give you a shoutout)_**

 ** _So enough ranting and let's get to the chapter… I hope you enjoy it._**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5 - Mal vs. Uma Round 2**

"There" Evie returned to their room after throwing away the last trash bag full of mirror shards, "All clean".

"Thanks for helping me E" Mal returned the broom to its place and sat with her friend. "I really don't know what I would do without you".

"Next time" Evie urged, "come to me first. Or Jay or Carlos. Or even Ben".

"He just…" Mal began when she heard her boyfriends name, "I love him with all my heart. I really do, but there are so many things that I just cant talk to him. Nt because he wont understand exactly, but because I wouldn't know how to explain them"

"and thats why you have us" Evie shoved her softly reminding her of something she already knew.

"Do you feel different since they all came here?" Mal started letting down her protective walls, but not completely.

"I mean" Evie thought about it, "Gil is in my chemistry class, which I don't understand, but he hasn't really made and impression or anything"

"But don't you feel like you're not…" she tried finding the right words without giving too much away, "Like you're not yourself".

"I just try to mind my own business" E shrugged, "It's not hard. I only knew them for a couple of years and barely".

"Im sorry about that btw" Mal noted. She had been the reason why Evie stayed locked in the castle most of her life. Now they were sisters. who would have thought?

"You've apologized a thousand time M" Evie chuckled, "I forgive you". Mal looked down thinking about why she felt like she had to vandalize something every time she ran into Uma or Harry. "You have history with them, and from what I know its a lot" Evie was saying exactly what she needed to hear, "You can't just act like none of it ever happened, but it's important that you can move forwards. That's never going to happen if you don't try…".

"I am trying" Mal grunted under her breath.

"I know you are" Evie encouraged and the first warning bell rang for their first class of the day, "Now let's go to class and have an amazing day"

"Missed me?" Uma teased as Mal took her seat in Life Skills class.

"You know what?" Mal answered, "having to spend my afternoon with a crazy sea bitch… I mean witch… just doesn't seem all that appealing to me for some reason".

Before Uma had a chance to respond, Merryweather walked in ready to start the lesson. Since Uma had started taking the class Mal began to feel less and less interested in this class. Just having her there put her on edge, which stressed her out.

The lesson was about First Aid and CPR in different situations. Mal had barely been paying attention, but one particular sentence caught her focus and got her brain turning. "If someone is drowning, there are a few little details that you have to take into account". She felt Uma stiffen awkwardly besides her. She had been born to be on water, but never even learned how to swim since she lived on the Isle. Mal knew this bothered her infinitely, and this was the perfect opportunity.

"If you're the one drowning, is there anything that might help you… I don't know… hold on a little longer?" Mal asked tilting her head.

"In that moment it's usually panic that takes over your head" Merryweather pondered the question in her head, "why do you ask?"

"You know…" she shrugged, "when you can't swim sometimes you just want to know what you can do to avoid a slow suffocating death". Her little sly smile at the end made the comment seem even darker.

"You can't swim?" the teacher questioned.

"Oh no, I can. I might not be a star swimmer, but I can hold my own" Mal made her voice seem as concerned and innocent as possible, "I am asking because I know some people in this class might just sink straight to the bottom. Well, person…". She didn't call any names, but she focused her eyes at Uma as she spoke. It was clear to everyone who she was talking about. Uma heard the whispers instantly. This was one of the few things that really got to her. She was supposed to be a sea witch, but what good did that do if she couldn't even be in water. She was actually afraid of it.

"Alright" the bell rang and everyone started heading out of the classroom as Meryweather spoke, "I'll see you all next class. Remember to finish the study guide".

Mal grabbed her books and made her way out with a pleased grin on her face. Uma wasn't far behind. There was no way she was just going to let this go.

"It's not like you could swim either when you were on the Isle" Uma called after Mal making her stop in the middle of the hallway.

"Yeah" Mal laughed without even turning around, "but unlike you, I am not a fish".

"It's actually kind of flattering" Uma crossed her arms.

"What is flattering?" Mal turned around to face Uma.

"How jealous you are of me" Uma said confidently and Mal let out a egotistical laugh.

"And why would I be jealous of you?" She walked a little closer threateningly.

People slowly started to gather around to watch the confrontation. It wasn't common for issues like this to happen in Auradon Prep, so most of the kids watched with excitement. A few faces in the crowd weren't as excited though. Evie, Dough and Carlos stood to one side, scared of what might happen but even more scared at what might happen if they try to stop them. Jay and Lonnie, ready for practice, fought their way through the crowd and joined the other three. Hayden and Gil stood behind Uma. They knew they weren't going to be able to stop her, and they really didn't knew if they even wanted to. Harry Hook look down at the two girls with a smug grin of pure joy and pleasure. And finally, Ben was trying to get to the front. He had no idea what was going on.

"You were too weak" Uma got into Mal's personal space, "You put up this big bad girl facade, but as soon as you saw an opportunity, you ran, like the coward you are".

"You want to talk about weak" Mal stepped forwards, "I came here because my mother made me" Mal regretted saying that immediately, but it's not like it was a big secret. Everyone knew what had happened. "I was supposed to go back. Luckily, that didn't happen." She added to not seem ungrateful. "You ran from you mother".

"I took everything you had" Uma changed the subject slightly.

"Yeah" Mal scoffed, "After I had already left. You didn't take anything from me, you just picked up everything I threw away".

"I took your friends, your status…" she leaned in as close as she could, "I even took your pirate". Everyone in the crowd gasped and looked at Harry and then at Ben who had made it to the front right in time to hear that.

His eyes flew straight to Mal. Her eyes were glowing again. Bright emerald green. Beautiful yet unnaturally frightening. He didn't know what to think. She hadn't exactly lied to him about Harry, but he wished she would have told him.

"Oh big deal" Mal shrugged. The fire had come back, and it was burning hotter than ever. She could actually feel her insides burning. "He was already worn down, useless."

"Girls" Harry stepped in cockily, "no need to battle over me. There's plenty of Harry for everyone".

"Shut Up Harry" both girls yelled at the same time and the pirate stepped away calmly.

"Only you would be proud of taking my dirty seconds like the piece of garbage that you are" Mal finishes her thought.

"From what I heard" Uma spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "It was the other way around. He didn't want anything to do with you". Mal looked down a little ashamed. That wasn't the whole story, and it was much more than that. She had one last card to play.

"At least my mother expected something from me. Your mother was just glad she had someone to wait the tables" Mal shoved her slightly, but it has enough to drive Uma off the edge.

The sea witch grabbed Mal's hair with one hand and swung her into the lockers. Mal's body slammed against the lockers, but it was her head that took the hard hit. Her vision blurred for a few seconds, but the fire gave her the strength to grab Uma's turquoise braids and pull her back, almost making her fall. Before things could get uglier, and they would, Jay stepped in carrying Mal by her waist and pulling her away. He had seen girls pull each others eyes out in fights like these on the Isle. Ben stepped in and held Uma back.

"Ladies!" Fairy Godmother appeared furious, "My office! Now! Everyone else get to class".

Ben rushed to Mal's side, but Fairy Godmother stopped him, "Ben, go to class". He could see his girlfriend. She was in pain. He didn't know if she wanted him right now, but he felt the need to be by her side.

"But…" he tried arguing but failed.

"She'll be fine" she assured him and he nodded. He stood there until the girls disappeared into Fairy Godmother's office.

"Well I have never" Fairy Godmother began indignation taking over her voice, "Never! In my 20 years of being headmistress have I seen such a scene" she looked at Mal and Uma unable to believe what had just happened.

"Well you've clearly never been to Serpent Prep" Uma spoke but Fairy Godmother did not find it amusing.

"Or Dragon Hall" Mal added under her breath, knowing better than to piss her off. The

"What on all that's mighty would posses you two to do such thing?" She asked.

"She started it" Uma said confidently.

"And you called me a coward…" Mal laughed to herself shaking her head.

"This is unacceptable!" Fairy Godmother continued, "violence is never the answer ladies". She sat down on her chair and took a deep breath. This wasn't something she was used to dealing with. "I'm giving you both detention all of next week" she decided, "you'll be cleaning classrooms after class. Together".

"I'm going to Tritons Bay next week" Mal stood up a little too angrily as Uma rolled her eyes.

Fairy Godmother stood up calmly but Mal could see she was furious. She slowly sat down knowing her reaction hadn't been appropriate and let Fairy Godmother speak, plus standing up so quickly had made her head start throbbing. "I gave you permission to go because of your good behavior" she explained and Mal crossed her arms and told her eyes. "You're not going to Triton's Bay. You're staying here and completing your detention". Mal opened her mouth to argue, but she didn't get the chance. "That's final." Godmother finished, "You can go". Both girls got up annoyed. "Not you Mal" Fairy Godmother said and Mal returned to her seat as Uma left. "Do I need to put you back into remedial goodness? Because I have tons of space in my class…"

"No!" Mal's aggressive tone disappeared and turned into more of a plea. "No… I'm really sorry Fairy Godmother. It won't happen again. I don't need to retake the class".

"I'm glad to hear that dear" her voice was calmer now as she sat back down. "Now, talk to me". Mal was suddenly confused, or maybe her head was pounding way to hard for her to understand. "What's going on?"

Instead of answering, Mal brought her hand to her forehead. The pounding in her head was getting worse. "My head hurts".

"You know that's not what I mean" Fairy Godmother stated the obvious, but Mal did not want to talk right now.

"I know" she said closing her eyes.

"Alright then" Fairy Godmother nodded, "Let's get you to the nurse".

"Thanks" Mal said as she helped her stand up, "but I think I'll be fine just resting in my room".

"I'm sure you will, but I want to make sure you don't have a concussion" Fairy Godmother agreed but still accompanied her all the way to the infirmary.

Ben had gone back to class like he had been told, but that didn't keep him from worrying the entire time. He wasn't sure what to make of the whole Harry Hook situation, but Mal was his priority. As soon as the last bell rang, he started to make his way to Fairy Godmother's office thinking she'd be there.

A few moments later, Jay sent him a text that said "Mal's at the infirmary She's still with the nurse. Haven't been able to see her yet". He texted back letting him know that he was on his way and thanking him for letting him know.

When he got there, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Evie and Doug were all heading out of the nurse's office. They all have him a smile and continued on their way.

"She's fine" Evie assured him as she left. "I have some stuff to take care of, but I'll be back as soon as I can".

"I'll let her know" Ben offered and went inside. The nurse saw him enter just as she closed the curtain to where Mal was resting behind her.

"Your Majesty" she bowed her head.

"Please" he still found the phrase slightly uncomfortable, "call me Ben. Can I see her?"

"I'll let Lady Mal know you're here"she smiled and disappeared behind the curtain.

Mal had been here less than and hour, but it felt like ages. The nurse had done a full exam and decided that it probably wasn't a concussion. She still had Mal stick around for a while to make sure the pain in her head wasn't getting worse. Now she was lying in a bed just staring at the ceiling.

"Ben's here" the nurse encouraged and Mal looked at her. She was so ashamed of herself,

"I don't want to talk to him right now" she said with her voice low so he would not hear.

"Alright dear" the nurse understood. She walked back out. "She's resting" she told the king without further explanation.

"Please" he half begged, "I just need to see her".

When the nurse was about to insist he come back later, the curtain slid open and Mal appeared. "It's fine. He's not going to leave anyway" Mal told the nurse and walked back to her bed.

Ben followed her slowly closing the curtain behind him. She just sat on the bed over the covers, without lying down. Ben thought about sitting down with her, but he preferred to stay standing up. They stayed silent for a moment, just looking at each other.

"Are you ok?" Ben had a lot of questions but this one was the most important.

"I'm fine" is al she answered. They stayed quiet for another moment.

"What happened?" He had to ask even though he knew she might not want to talk about it. "I thought you two were trying to be nice".

"You can't expect me to be nice to everyone" Mal gritted her teeth, "specially when that person deserves to be treated like shit".

"What happened between you two?" Ben asked.

"You'll never understand" Mal looked away.

"Not if you don't even give me a chance" Ben fought back. They had been through so much together, but she still didn't fully trust him. "I thought you trusted me". Mal felt her heart physically ache.

"I do trust you" she let out an annoyed sigh, "it's them I don't trust. Or have you forgotten? She kidnapped you!"

"And I moved past it" he raised his voice a little.

"Well I can't" Mal cleared up, "that's the second time Uma has take someone I lo…". She stopped herself before she could finished.

"Harry Hook?" His voice was stern. "So that's why you didn't want him to come". He turned around and thought about knocking over the lamp, but controlled himself. He held his hand to his head and took in a deep breath.

"You have no right to be mad at me" Mal protested.

"I just wish you had said something before he came" he admitted, but Mal wasn't happy.

"We'll I'm sorry if there's thing from my past that I just want to forget" she said sarcastically, "but it's my decision if I choose to share it with you or not". She got up to leave, but Ben knew better.

"No" he said, "I'll go. You need to stay here". Just like that, he headed out, thanking the nurse on his way out. Well that hadn't exactly gone according to plan, but at least she was ok

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **Please go check out my other Descendants stories, Uncovered, Discovering, and Let's Pretend. Make sure to Follow, Favorite and Review if you liked it (or if you didn't, that's fine).**_

 _ **UPDATE: I ALSO HAVE A BAL ONESHOT SERIES BASED ON THE CHARACTERS IN UNCOVERED/DISCOVERING. I had completely forgotten to add that.**_


	6. Chapter 6 - Mal vs Uma Final Round

_**Hello everyone! So… my upload plan didn't exactly go as planned, but better late than never!**_

 _ **I am not making any promises on when the next chapter will be up, but I assure you it'll be here as soon as I have the time**_

 _ **Also, bear with me. I am writing on my IPad, so spelling mistakes and autocorrect fails mighty be on an all time high.**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorited. Y'all keep me inspired to write.**_

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 **CHAPTER 6 - Mal vs. Uma Final Round**

Dizzy had been having the time of her life in Auradon. Even though her first few days were a little nerve wrecking, she actually felt like she fit right in. Of course, there were some differences with the other kids, but nothing too important to overlook. The only thing that had disappointed her was not being able to see Evie that often, so when Evie invited her to spend the weekend with her she was super excited. They had spent most of the day sketching and coming up with new ideas for dresses and jewelry while Mal just hung around.

Mal was supposed to leave for Triton's Bay with Ben on Monday, but since recent events that was not happening. It still meant Ben was leaving on Monday, and they still hadn't spoken since their fight. Mal really didn't know what to say. She wished she could explain everything to him, but she didn't understand what was happening herself. Ben wanted to give her space, but he was extremely worried she hadn't even approached him in the last 48 hours.

Dizzy had caught on instantly. She hadn't spent much time with the royal couple, but the few time she did see them they were inseparable. Mal had barely left her dorm room the whole weekend, even with the king roaming the halls.

On Sunday morning when they all were having breakfast, she decided enough was enough. Mal had gotten up to get some juice and had run into Ben on accident. The couple didn't even speak. They just stared at each other for a few seconds before continuing on their way. Ben, who had gotten up to grab an apple, had completely forgotten what it was he was doing and returned to his chair empty handed.

"This is a catastrophe" Dizzy told Evie as she had her breakfast merrily. The older girl turned to see the awkward encounter. "They can't just keep ignoring one another".

"I know" Evie agreed cleaning her mouth with her napkin.

The younger girl looked at the king, then at Mal and back to her plate as her mind turned. "We have to do something" she said more of a command than a suggestion.

"I can tell you right now" Evie shook her head, "Mal will be pissed if we start meddling".

"We cant just sit here and watch them fall apart" Dizzy insisted and as much as Evie tried, she couldn't resist.

"Fine" she gave in, "We'll talk to her, but that's it". Dizzy smiled cheerfully. Her favorite couple would be back together soon.

When Mal returned to her room after spending most of her afternoon in the art room, al she wanted was to take a hot shower and lie in bed. Instead, she walked in to find Evie and Dizzy sitting quietly waiting for her.

"Hey…" she said questioning what was going on as she placed her purple jacket on a hook. "I thought you two were going to get some new fabric".

"We did" Evie explained just as Mal noticed the new rolls of fabric by Evie's table.

"So what's up then?" she wondered stepping closer to the other girls.

"You need to talk to Ben" the blue haired girl went straight to the point. There was no point in tip toeing around it.

"Evie…" Mal began to whine, but Dizzy interrupted her.

"He's leaving tomorrow" she reminded her, but Mal was more than aware. "You can't just let him go while you too aren't even speaking".

Mal took a deep breath. She knew everything they were saying was true. "I know you two are worried" she said calmly, "but it's just a fight. We'll get through it".

"It might be" Evie nodded in agreement, "But I know you, M. You're going to regret not saying goodbye, and you'll both have the fight on your minds the entire time."

"I don't… need… him" she though about what word to use, "I'm not going to die without him".

"We all know that" Evie smiled slightly.

"You've always been very independent" Dizzy agreed, "You can take care of yourself".

"You may not need him all the time" Evie modified Mal's word a little bit to what she truly meant, "But you want him".

Evie and Dizzy were right, Mal realized. She'd be fine without him, but she'd be miserable knowing that the last time they had been together they had fought.

"I'll talk to him tonight" Mal said, mostly trying to convince herself, "I promise I won't let him go without us talking things through". Instead of going to the bathroom as she had planned, she grabbed her jacket once again and set out to find her boyfriend.

Mal had no idea where Ben was, so she went to his room. Even if he wasn't there, he'd come back eventually. The door was unlocked, a bad habit of Ben's that Mal had tried to correct. If you left something unlocked on the Isle, you'd come back to find everything stolen. Honestly, even if it was locked you might have still found it stolen. She walked in, took off her jacket placing it on the couch, and sat on his bed waiting. Even if they were fighting, even if she had not talked to him in over 48 hours, she felt comfortable in his room.

The door creaked open, and she stood up. Ben walked in casually not noticing Mal until her was taking his coat off.

"Mal" he said surprised but slightly glad, "what are you doing here?"

"You left your door open again" she explained, "and we need to talk".

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me" Ben said bitterly. He really did want to talk, but he couldn't get the fact that Mal had almost said she loved Harry.

"You know that's not true" she crossed her arms annoyed, "you have to understand, Ben, when I got to Auradon, I had a clean slate. I could be anyone I wanted to be without anyone judging me for my past. Yes, they judged me for my mother, but I could make a new face for myself. The kids from the Isle…". She had to take a breath before continuing, "we have history. We've known each other our entire lives, and know practically every little secret. Things I wanted to forget are now constantly reminded to me".

"So am I not supposed to bring more kids to Auradon?" He questioned unsure of what she was trying to say.

"No" she grunted stressed that he wasn't understanding and stressed that she wasn't explaining herself correctly, "I just need you to understand that it's never going to be smooth. This time, I was the one who had… unsolved issues… with them, but next time they might not get along with someone else. We weren't exactly all that friendly…"

"Can you please tell me…" he began but she knew exactly what he was asking.

"There is a lot of me you don't know Ben" her voice was stern, but she stayed calm and collected. "Some of it I'm not ready to tell you". She emphasized on the I'm to let him know this was about her, not him. "I tried to forget and move on from most of it" she paused for a moment, "I really did. I was happy with who I was becoming, even with my little breakdown. But, when Uma and Harry and everyone got here… it's like I completely forgot who I was. I have a sudden need to go back to my Isle self, always with my guard up, always on offense, and I just can't control it".

"Mal…" Ben tried to speak, but really didn't know what to say. He just sat down in the couch and brought his hands to his face.

"Your father told you bringing over kids from the Isle wasn't going to be easy" she reminded him stepping a little closer and then sitting down next to him, "and he was right. But, no one ever really thought of how that would affect other Isle kids"

"Now I feel like and ass" he sighed.

"You were an ass" she joked nudging him with her elbow, but he didn't find it amusing. "Hey" she grabbed his face and lifted it up so their eyes met, "I do want to tell you everything… eventually, but right now I need to figure things out for myself".

"We can figure it out together" he encouraged sweetly.

"You're so sweet" she caresses his face smiling, "but this is one thing I have to do on my own. But, having you there by my side would mean the world to me".

"I'll always be there for you" he wrapped his hand around her small body and she left herself sink into him. "I love you".

"And, I love you" she looked up and he leaned down to press his lips to hers.

He lingered for only a couple of seconds before pushing away and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry" she apologized, "it's just…"

"You want to know about Harry" she completed for him and prepared herself before continuing. "What I told you on our first date is true. We don't really date on the Isle, and basically no one knows what love actually is. Evie, Carlos and Jay were not part of my… gang… at first. When I was smaller, I used to hang out with Uma a lot, and since we were by the docks, Harry was also around a lot. When we got older, we… well that doesn't really matter, but we stopped hanging out. I can't deny nothing ever happened between Harry and me. We weren't really friends, but we were close. I never loved Harry, if anything I loathed him. I had a thing with Harry, but I love you and only you".

"What about what Uma said…" he questioned "about him dumping you".

"She doesn't know the whole story" she explained, "Harry and Uma went to a different school on the other side of the Isle. I only got to see them on breaks. One day I told Harry no, and he didn't like that. He could have any girl he wanted, but he became obsessed with me because I was the only girl that wouldn't fall into his games anymore. After that I heard that he starting sleeping with Uma and he told everyone I was the one who was obsessed with him."

"He's a douche" Ben grunted and Mal smiled.

"I know" she wrapped her arms around Ben's torso.

"You'd tell me if he was bothering you right?" He wondered thinking about the pirate.

"Yeah" Mal half lied, "yeah of course".

They just stayed there, enjoying each other's company until Mal had to go back to her room. He walked to her dorm room, but they lingered outside for a while making out a little.

"I can just stay if you want me too" he suggested with their foreheads pressed together.

"No" she wanted to go with him, but she was staying here because of detention, "you have responsibilities to take care of. Plus I'll be here, having fun… in detention".

He laughed at the sarcasm in her voice. "Ok then, I'll see you when I get back".

"I love you" she pressed the side of her face to his chest.

"I love you too" he finished holding her a little tighter before letting her go.

When Mal stepped in her room she found Dizzy and Evie sitting around casually with a smile on their faces. "You were listening to the door weren't you?" she asked and both girls just broke out in a million questions.

When the time for detention finally came, Mal promised herself she would just keep to herself. They had already cleaned the history, and literature classrooms when they got to the art studio. Mal had been dreading it since they had started. The other classroom only took a little dusting and sweeping, but the art room. That had to be a challenge, and she was right.

The classroom was a mess. There were dirty paintbrushes, spilled paint, pieces of clay, beads and stones all over the floor, pencils left on the tables, and basically everything else you could possibly imagine.

"I thought I would never have to clean a table again" Uma complained as she wiped a table that was covered in paint.

"It's your own fault" Mal couldn't help herself. She spoke in a very low voice, but it was a small classroom. Uma heard her loud and clear.

"If I were you, I'd watch your mouth" Uma smiled to herself, "no one's ever going to approve of a misfit to be a queen".

Mal knew what Uma was trying to do. She knew if Mal got too riled up she'd snap.

"And if I were you…" she made a disgusted face at the thought, "I'd watch out before I dump a bucket of paint on your head…" she started to make a few cans of paint float, but not get near Uma. "Or don't you remember where the name Shrimpy came from, Shrimpy". She recalled that time on the Isle were Mal had dumped a bucket of bait on Uma's head and the smell lingered for days, causing Mal and some other kids on the Isle to start calling her shrimpy.

In one swift move, Uma threw a couple of paintbrushes dipped in paint straight at Mal. She was going to stop them, but it was too late. Both of them his the side of her face, leaving red and yellow streaks.

Uma grinned proudly, but she wasn't expecting the bucket of paint Mal tossed in her direction, leaving her dripping with purple paint. "You wanted to be me" Mal taunted, "There you go".

Before either of them knew it, paint of all colors was flying in all different directions. Both of the girls were now dressed in colorful paint from head to toe, barely any of their own colors were visible anymore.

"Stop" Mal laughed at the sight of Uma's colorful hair, "stop. You…". She could barely stop laughing to speak, "you look like Gil when we locked him up in Lady Tremaine's shop and he knocked the hair dye over".

Uma looked at her reflection on a large piece of glass and burst out in laughter as well. "I do" she had forgotten about that, "you too".

They both sat on the ground with their backs against the wall and began to tell stories about their life on the Isle, before they hated each other. It was nice.

"Wait, wait" Uma interrupted Mal as she spoke, "do you remember that one time we found that clock, and we hid it on the pirate ship, and Hook's pirate crew freaked out"

"Oh my god" Mal closed her eyes remembering. "Wasn't that the day that…"

"Harry shit in his pants" they both said at the same time before breaking out in laughter again.

"He was so scared" Uma added remembering how the scared little boy shook with fear at the ticking clock.

"Oh" Mal put her hand out, "he was about to jump in the water".

They stared at each other before refocusing their eyes on the floor they sat on. They had been through so much together…

"God" Mal sighed when the laughing had whined down, "we used to have so much fun together. What happened?"

"People change…" Uma shook her head. There was a moment of silence before she continued. "If you tell anyone this I'll deny it" her voice was a little threatening. She couldn't believe she was about to say this, but it just felt right. "I can't deny I wasn't jealous of you Mal". Mal's eyes widened in shock. "You're mother actually cared about you, while my mother didn't even care enough to have me around".

"My mother was awful to me…" Mal tried to intervene but Uma wasn't finished yet.

"As soon as I was old enough she sent me to Serpent Prep on the other side of Isle. Your mother actually wanted you around. She wanted to train you and mend you into being as evil as possible. I didn't get that…" She paused for a second. "And when I came back from Serpent Prep the first time, I was so excited to finally cause mayhem with you again, but you were someone else. You had turned into this horrible little Maleficient and I wasn't evil enough to hang out with you anymore. And when you got to come to Auradon, I just… why was everything so perfect for you".

"Is that really what happened?" Mal had no idea. All this time she just thought they had drifted apart, and she had gotten pissed when the whole "shrimpy" incident happened.

"Pretty much" Uma nodded looking ahead, and not at Mal.

"I had never thought of it that way" Mal was utterly surprised. "I guess I was a little lucky that my mother wanted something from me, even if she didn't really care about me".

They have had a long a heated journey, but it was time that it came to an end. This was a new land full of new opportunities, and new relationships as well.

"Tell you what" Mal grinned and Uma looked up to meet her face, "let's leave all that rivalry crap on the Isle, and let's go back to the good old days were we got along".

Uma didn't respond right away. She needed a moment to look back at everything that had happened since she got here. "Deal!" She agreed and they shook hands.

"What in the world happened in here?" Fairy Godmother stepped into the room and both girls jolted up to their feet.

"Fairy Godmother…" It was the first time the girls noticed the mess they had caused in the room. They were both covered in paint, but the entire classroom had also been covered in paint. They had come in here clean, and had tripled the mess.

"I told you to clean the classroom" the older woman stared at the mess amazed, "not destroy it!"

"We are very sorry Fairy Godmother" Uma said for both of them.

"We'll clean it up immediately" Mal insisted, "it'll be spotless when we're done with it".

"Very well" Fairy Godmother cleared her threat, "I'll hold you two to your words". She left after taking another view at the colorful splatter.

"You not be disappointed" Mal called out just in time for her to hear.

"Well" Uma pursed her lips as she faced reality, "we better start cleaning". She moved to grab the mop, but Mal grabbed her arm holding her back.

"There's no way we're cleaning this" Mal frowned, "we'd be here for hours".

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Uma asked and Mal just answered with a sly grin.

"This room in grody, this room is a mess" she chanted staring at the room, "clean it up without any distress".

Just like that, all the paint began to find it's way back to their containers, the pencils that were on the table placed themselves in the bins and drawers, and the clay rolled itself to the cupboard. Within minutes, the room was spotless.

"What?" Mal shrugged when she saw the way Uma was staring at her. She has her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be using your magic" she wasn't judging her, she was actually glad since she didn't want to deal with that mess.

"You were right" Mal rolled her eyes, "I have gone soft. A little mischief won't kill anyone". She wasn't there yet, but Mal now felt a bit closer to finding herself.

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 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **Please go check out my other Descendants stories, Uncovered, Discovering, The Good Life (one shots), and Let's Pretend. Make sure to Follow, Favorite and Review**_


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